


Progress

by Live



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst is Mild Though, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Past Relationships, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, It's a Progress, M/M, Soulmates, Temporary Character Death, but they'll get there, they don't get along at first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 15:46:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14751747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Live/pseuds/Live
Summary: Anthony Edward Stark. That was the name on Stephen's wrist. That was the name he hated most.





	Progress

Stephen hated his soulmate. The second the accursed name revealed itself on Stephen’s flesh his life has been hell. 

Anthony Edward Stark.

Initially it had gotten Stephen “like Howard Stark’s son” comments, and Stephen hadn’t cared enough to find out who that was or why everyone seemed to know him. Stephen was a child and all he wanted to do was play with his younger sister. It was when that Anthony Edward Stark (Howard Stark’s son, the son whose name was like the name on his arm) had his soulmate’s name announced to the world that Stephen’s life took a turn for the worst.

Stephen Vincent Strange.

It doesn’t take much for someone who knows Stephen to mention what his name and who his soulmate’s name is to the media. Stephen finds his face plastered all over the news next to some kid about the same age as him. A lot of adults stop him, insisting on asking him all kinds of questions. Stephen doesn’t understand what it’s all about at that age, but he knows he doesn’t like it. Doesn’t like being asked what he thought of some kid he doesn’t know.

Stephen decides from a young age that he doesn’t like Anthony Edward Stark. Why should he?

——

Stephen’s never able to escape Anthony Edward Stark. The kid is a celebrity brat. 

When Anthony Edward Stark wins some science fair, some media nobody will ask Stephen his opinion. He ignores them.

When Stephen dates his first girlfriend, her parents tell her to leave him alone. Decide Stephen’s destiny and sexual orientation based on the name on his wrist. 

When Anthony Edward Stark loses his parents and is caught beyond drunk at the funeral. Stephen has no sympathy for him, Stephen had lost his sister, his mother was dying and he didn’t throw his future away. He kept moving on, kept trying to help them. 

When Stephen receives his first interview for his own work, Stephen feels vindicated to have Anthony Edward Stark described as his soulmate instead of the other way around. Stephen was the more interesting of the two after all.

——

His first official meeting of Anthony Edward Stark is awkward for all parties involved. 

It’s at a gathering of scientific geniuses. The convention, of sorts, spanning throughout a large building with each hall dedicated for different branches of science. Stephen stood happily among some of medicals’ greatest with Christine Palmer on his arm.

It’s there, clearly with his girlfriend, that someone thought it’d be a smart idea to introduce the two soulmates together. Anthony Edward Stark stands with numerous woman. They don’t shake hands.

“Stephen Vincent Strange,” Anthony Edward Stark makes a show of taking off his ridiculous looking yellow sunglasses to give Stephen a quick once over. “Not bad.”

It rubs Stephen the wrong way. Stephen is more than ‘not bad’.

“And I’m,” Stephen pulls Christine closer to him. Christine is smart and gorgeous and everything Stephen would want in a soulmate. “Taken.”

Anthony Edward Stark’s eyes trace down Christine’s figure. Hovering over her pleasing curves and admiring her delightfully scrunch-able hair. 

“Shame,” Anthony Edward Stark says and Stephen can’t help but feel it was directed more towards Christine than Stephen. 

It makes Stephen’s forearm throb. A painful stab of displeasure. Stephen ignores it. Phantom pain from soulmate bonds has been proven to be non-existent.

“You alright?” Christine asks, once Anthony Edward Stark has sauntered off, one of his moronic posse giggling high pitched in his ear.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Stephen raises a brow.

“Why wouldn’t you- that was your soulmate,” Christine says as though she’s questioning Stephen’s sanity.

“It doesn’t matter,” Stephen shrugs. “Never wanted to meet him if I’m honest.”

Christine groans, but doesn’t carry on. They have talks to see and talks to host after all. 

The world carries on without Stephen Vincent Strange having to see Anthony Edward Stark again. At least not at any science conventions.

——

Elsewhere it’s a different story.

When Stephen (and Christine) fully come up with a breakthrough for their new surgical techniques, Stark Industries offers to fund the process. Stephen ignores it (never tells Christine about it).

When Anthony Edward Stark is kidnapped he’s visited weekly by Anthony Edward Stark’s best friend and personal assistant, both demanding if his soul-bond had snapped. Stephen always answers, but he hates every reminder that it even exists.

When Anthony Edward Stark returns to civilisation. Stephen feels the smallest prickle of relief and hates the bond for it.

When Anthony Edward Stark reveals himself to be Iron Man. Stephen hates how people approach him as though he can introduce them to a hero.

When Christine Palmer breaks up with him, Stephen reads the watch she had brought him ‘only time will tell what you mean to me’. He can’t help but read it as doubt, to blame the words ‘Anthony Edward Stark’ branded on his arm, instead of the words she had actually used: “you’re too egotistical. Everything’s about you, I can’t deal with that”. 

When aliens fall out of the sky, Stephen works longer shifts that he’s ever had to. Stephen sees more death and blood in his hospital than he ever imagined. He blames Anthony Edward Stark for bringing this war to them, blames him for not doing enough.

When Stephen reads news articles comparing him to Virginia Potts and Steve Rogers he can’t help but sneer. There was no competition, both because Stephen was obviously better and, because Stephen wasn’t interested in anything to do with his soulmate. Potts or Rogers was welcome to him. 

When Anthony Edward Stark goes missing after a terrorist attack, Stephen’s bond is questioned constantly. Stephen finds it as annoying as when Anthony Edward Stark was kidnapped.

When the Accords are announced, Stephen can’t help but think ‘finally’. Hopes people will stop bringing up the destruction they blame on Anthony Edward Stark to him. Then Anthony Edward Stark returns home battered and half dead and the sympathy starts up. Stephen hates it more than the hatred. 

When Stephen’s car flips (again and again and again). When Stephen’s hands are crippled (beyond belief, beyond help, beyond repair). Stephen’s made to look at that damned soul mark on his forearm every day. The mark is as clear and pristine as the day it appeared, even with the skin around it damaged. Stephen hates it. Hates it more when people ask if the owner of that horrific name pays for Stephen’s mad bid for healing. Hates it most when there is an offer of money. He doesn’t take it.

When Stephen finds a potential cure in Nepal he uses the last of his money to go there. He momentarily thinks of his soulmate, how the man would probably think Stephen insane. It doesn’t stop him from going to Nepal and discovering magic. As he’s sent to the Astral Plane he doesn’t once think of the name Anthony Edward Stark. All he can focus on is the magic and this chance. 

It won’t last.

——

“What was it?” Stephen asks Mordo through one training session. They’re practicing with staffs today.

“What was what?” Mordo asks, for all his perception the man was not actually a mind reader and this conversation was coming out of nowhere.

“When the Ancient One sent me to the Astral Plane,” Stephen begins. This had been bothering him a while, but he felt a weird sense of foreboding in the question. “I saw a light extending from me, it seemed to never end. What the hell was that?”

“That is your soulmate bond, you have one then?” Mordo asks, bringing his staff forward.

Stephen snorts as he dodges back.

“I thought you said you guys were civilised?” Stephen says, taking his own swing.

“I take it, it is someone well known then?” Mordo asks. His parry leaving Stephen open enough that Stephen lands flat on his back when Mordo takes advantage.

“You could say that,” Stephen says, looking up at Mordo. “Anthony Edward Stark, inheritor of Stark Industries.”

Mordo offers a hand to Stephen.

Stephen accepts.

“Iron Man?” Mordo asks.

“The one and same,” Stephen brushes himself off before falling back into his stance. 

“I thought he was dating his CEO?” Mordo asks.

“Probably,” Stephen shrugs. “We don’t exactly get along.”

“Too much ego in one room?” Mordo smirks, as he brings the staff towards Stephen again.

Stephen blocks it. “Ha, ha, very funny.”

“I honestly can’t imagine the two of you being able to fit in the same room together, Stephen,” Mordo says, grinning all the while. “But, I’m sure if you’re able to figure it out, it’ll be a beautiful relationship.”

Stephen snorts, once again. “I doubt it.”

Mordo swipes his legs out from him. He lands flat on the floor. Again.

“You’re soulmates, right?” Mordo asks, but doesn’t wait for a response. “Then of course it will be, you should see a soulmate connection from the Astral Plane when the soulmates are actually together. There’s nothing more beautiful in the world.”

“Sure there is,” Stephen dismisses. “Soulmates are just arbitrary decisions. They’re not important.”

“You’ll see,” Mordo smiles down. “Just like you saw what the mystic arts are and just like how you’re seeing the sky right now.”

Stephen sighs, pushing himself off the ground.

“Did you really have to turn a conversation about soulmates back onto my crushing defeat?” Stephen asks.

“Of course,” Mordo shakes his head fondly. “You only ever seem to learn once you’ve suffered defeat.”

“No I don’t,” Stephen narrows his eyes. 

“Yes, you do,” Mordo laughs. 

He doesn’t.

——

Only he does. He suffers defeat again and again and again. And he learns from each defeat, but not enough to succeed, never enough to succeed. 

When Stephen gets stabbed and teleports to Christine, he falls out into his Astral self and he sees that soulmate bond. The bright red that burned there previously has dimmed low and for the first time Stephen can remember he feel sorry for Anthony Edward Stark. Stephen had felt Anthony’s bond fray over the years, near death experiences Stephen assumes, and now he’s passing that onto Anthony (probably for a second time) and Stephen genuinely feels bad for it. He focuses of helping Christine keep him alive.

When the Ancient One dies, secrets revealed, and her last truthful words spoken, Stephen can’t do anything but think. “It’s not about you,” she had said. Told him it was the most valuable lesson he had yet to learn and he can finally admit it. He only thought of himself, even when his soul was shared with another through his bond. Stephen never thought about how Anthony felt about being soulmates. Only thought his soulmate trying to ridicule him. Even before they met.

When he goes to Dormammu for a bargain. He thinks of more than just himself, thinks of the whole world (the world his soulmate and ex/best friend tried to save in their own ways) and he faces death again and again and again. He doesn’t think until afterwards about whether the constant deaths will affect Anthony or if they’ll be lost in the time loop. For once, Stephen wishes they’ll remain hidden. Wishes to suffer alone.

When Anthony announces his engagement to Miss Potts, Stephen feels oddly detached as though he’s lost the best part of himself. 

Mordo’s words echo through his mind.

“You only ever seem to learn once you’ve suffered defeat.”

This feels like suffering. It is definitely defeat. Stephen doesn’t think there’s a lesson worth the crushing pain of a weakened soul-bond.

——

Bruce Banner breaks through the roof of the New York Sanctum in a rainbow light. He brings forewarning of Thanos and the destruction he’ll wrought. Bruce Banner says they need Tony Stark.

With Wong shooting him a quick worried glance, Stephen creates the portal to Anthony. Creating portals to your soulmate is easy, the magic identifying the bond as a part of the user. Many come to Kamar-Taj seeking their soulmates. 

“Tony Stark,” Anthony’s preferred name sounds foreign on Stephen’s tongue, but he uses it to create a sense of ease. “I’m going to need you to come with me, the universe’s fate depends on it.”

Anthony is stood there with his fiancé. The two are stood close together and the sight would have made the him from a few years ago fume, compare everything to himself. He smiles at Miss Potts.

“Congratulations on the wedding by the way,” he nods.

“Strange?” Potts questions, and Stephen wonders what it is she’s seeing here. They had met numerous times in the past when she was concerned for Anthony’s health, back when Stephen could care less. And now here he is interrupting what must have been a moment.

“I really am sorry, but we need you for this Stark,” Stephen’s says and tries to put as much sincerity in his words.

“Who’s ‘we’,” Anthony asks once he’s gotten over his shock. Sceptical. Stephen doesn’t blame him.

Banner walks out behind Stephen.

“Tony,” he says and sounds broken. “It’s really bad.”

“Bruce?” The couple in front of him gape and Stephen feels bad about throwing so much at them in one afternoon. But, the fate of the world is more important than his soulmate’s feelings.

More important than his own. Which is why he ignores his heart beating fast. Ignores the clenching of his gut. The world is more important than such petty reactions. It has to be.

——

Only the world seems to be telling him Anthony Edward Stark is equally as important.

When Stephen’s taken and Anthony comes after him. They argue over how to proceed, but come up with a solution. One that’s better for the universe.

When Stephen looks at all the futures and watches Anthony die time and time again, feels his soul-bond break time and time again. It hurts, but Stephen pushes through, if Anthony has to die for the rest of the world then so be it. But. He doesn’t. The time stone shows him only one successful future. A future where Tony is alive. Alive and the one who saves them all.

When Stephen gives up the time stone for Tony, Stephen feels a slither of joy run along his nerves. A happiness that’s unholy inappropriate for what’s about to happen, but entirely appropriate when one considers he’s saving his soulmate. It’s for the greater good though. That’s a thought that sobers him.

When Stephen’s fading away, Tony’s horror filled eyes staring at him all he can offer is “Tony, it was the only way”. 

Stephen regrets nothing. Especially when he wakes up, body completely intact, Cloak clinging tight on his shoulders and a terrified Peter clinging equally as tight to him. The world is right again. Stephen probably won’t see Tony again.

——

“You,” Tony says, his hand pointing at Peter, as he and Stephen exit the Guardians’ ship. “Are grounded. And you,” Tony turns to point at Stephen. “And I need to have a serious discussion. Multiple serious discussions. Starting with how you’re not allowed to go making choices that wipe out half the universe.”

“Ah, Mr. Stark,” Peter speaks up. “Dr. Strange explained it to me on the way back and there was really no other-”

Tony points back at Peter. “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about your stupid decision. Grounded. I already have Aunt May’s blessings. Grounded.”

Peter holds his hands up in surrender, squeaking out something high pitched and unintelligible. Tony’s finger is directed back at Stephen.

“You aren’t allowed to die again, you’re banned from dying,” Tony all but shoves his finger against Stephen’s chest. “If I feel our soul-bond break one more time I’m killing you myself.”

“That’s rather counterintuitive, don’t you think?” Stephen asks. 

“Ah, you aren’t allowed to be sassy anymore either,” Tony does poke his chest this time. “Morons who sacrifice themselves aren’t allowed to be sassy.”

“I guess you can’t be sassy anymore either then?” Stephen asks, he had felt the disconnect of their bond as much (it not more) than Tony must have (though definitely not as long). 

“One, I’m not sassy- I’m smart, it’s not cockiness if you have the brains to back it,” Stephen rolls his eyes. “And two, you better not be a dick about me admitting this Stephen, but you absolutely terrified me two years ago.”

Stephen blinks. Two years ago?

“The car accident?” Stephen asks, he knows Tony knows of it, was offered Stark funds to help him get by. 

“No- well yes, I actually visited you in hospital after your accident, didn’t think you’d appreciate me sticking around so I didn’t stay long, but after the accident. You went to Nepal and all but vanished off the face of the Earth and then our bond broke and repaired itself over and over for hours. Do you know how terrifying that was? I couldn’t find you anywhere but our bond was telling me you were dying.”

Ah.

“Right there’s two issues I can see here-”

“Issues, right,” Tony snorts, folding his arms.

“First,” Stephen carries on, ignoring Tony’s clear displeasure. “I apologise for the bond breaking, I genuinely didn’t think it would affect you. But, if you must know there was a demon that sought to completely destroy the world and I stuck the two of us in a time loop until he accepted my bargain.”

There’s a moment of silence, which Stephen takes to mean he can move onto the second point, but before he can-

“Dude,” Peter who had been quietly standing beside them, watching the verbal tennis match speaks up (honestly their verbal tennis match was gaining more attention the further it went). “You made a bargain with a demon? Does that mean you’ve lost your soul or something? Is that going to affect Mr. Stark as well?!”

“No,” Stephen rolls his eyes. “It was just a normal bargain. Demons are more compelled to obey from their end of a bargain though.”

“What did you bargain?” Peter asks, eyes wide. 

“That Dormammu take his and leave this planet and I’d end the time loop,” Stephen shrugs.

“That doesn’t sound like a very good bargain,” Peter’s eyes narrow, sceptically. “For him I mean, like why would he take it?”

“It is a very good bargain after the 2653rd time of killing me,” Stephen shrugs. “Even all powerful demons run out of ways to kill someone eventually.”

“Dude you died-”

“Peter,” Tony calls out, shakes his head and Peter frets (much to Stephen’s amusement).

“Ah, right sorry, sensitive topic, I uh, what was the second issue you wanted I bring up?” Peter babbles. “Sorry for interrupting it.”

“Its fine,” Stephen assures, before turning to Tony. “And issue number two is, how you even knew I went to Nepal and why you’d think I’d have vanished off the face of the Earth?”

“Well,” Tony starts before stopping. Stephen folds his arms, slowly. “There’s a logical explanation, but you’ll probably find it deplorable and intrusive.”

“So, stalking?” Stephen asks.

“Is a little too strong a word to describe it,” Tony disagrees. “It was more for protection. I’m Tony Stark, I’ve been kidnapped for being Tony Stark, why wouldn’t someone go after my soulmate to get to me? So protection.”

“Great, I invited my stalker to my house,” Stephen says. He doesn’t really mean it, can understand Tony’s reasoning even if he’d rather he had been privy to such decisions and potential problems beforehand. Not that it matters as much now, if Stephen doesn’t want to be found he won’t be- magic and all that. 

“You invited your soulmate to your house,” Tony corrects. “Which leads me onto another discussion we need to have. Soulmates. First meeting? Not too good. Second meeting? Still not great, but definitely better, and I’d say we improved the longer we spent together, so third meeting- enough to give us a try?”

Stephen raises a brow. “So far you’ve threatened to kill me and complain about some of my best attributes. I don’t see how this an improvement. Also weren’t you engaged to Miss Potts?”

“That’s,” Tony stops himself from speaking, his eyes darting to Peter. “That’s complicated and I’ll explain it to you later, but it is definitely a non-issue. Also, what attribute did I complain about? I didn’t complain about any of your good attributes.”

“My sassiness,” Stephen grins. “It did help in getting Dormammu to leave the planet.”

“Seriously, I’m still stuck on this,” Peter speaks up again. “You annoyed a villain into leaving- that’s what happened, right?”

“Peter, kid,” Tony says, before Stephen can confirm that is definitely what happened. “Ask him about the weird magic thing later- actually, no don’t, I don’t want to see you doing any of that magic stuff and you’re still grounded, but right now I’m really trying to get an answer on whether we can try this whole soulmate thing out.”

“Oh... right...” Peter nudges Stephen’s side. “Uh, Dr. Strange I think this is where you’re meant to accept Mr. Stark’s proposal.”

“Proposal?” Stephen questions, amused.

“No, not proposal,” Tony says. “An attempt at a relationship... that might end up with a proposal if I don’t kill you first.”

Stephen laughs and starts walking down the runway of the ship. There are numerous people around them, some Stephen recognises from the news over the years, a couple of Guardian members he had met and a whole lot of people he was ignorant to. Most of the faces look amused at the three standing on the ship’s runway. Some look annoyed, probably other Guardian members who want to get by them. Stephen puts his sling ring on.

“Hey, we haven’t finished our discussion,” Tony follows him, easily falling in line beside him. Peter trails behind. “And we have a lot more discussions after this one, like how you-”

“I’m sure they’ll all be as thrilling as this one,” Stephen says, drawing a portal in the air. “But, I’m sure they’d best be discussed in private and I need to check on the Sanctum. And although our third meeting is proving to be as disastrous as our previous ones-”

Stephen walks into the Sanctum, Wong is standing there, searching through numerous scrolls. Stephen looks back at Tony who has a scowl on his face, Peter behind him looks like an overly eager puppy.

“I have to say I find your proposal appealing,” and then Stephen shuts the portal behind him, endlessly amused on how everything has panned out. 

Wong looks at him. 

“You just can’t do things normally can you?”

“No,” Stephen agrees. He really doesn’t think he can.

——

It holds true for their relationship.

When Tony explains why he was engaged with Pepper, Stephen can’t help but laugh. Proposing to appease a bunch of hungry journalists was ridiculous. Though maybe not as ridiculous as Tony and Stephen getting together. 

When Wong jokingly complains about not being able to go to Stark’s wedding, Stephen grins. “You’re more likely to go now aren’t you?” Stephen says. “I need a best man after all.”

When Tony gets kidnapped again, Stephen can teleport to him instantly now, so he does and is at a loss of how to react. “A dragon?” Stephen would ask. “Only the best dates for you, darling,” Tony would tease.

When Stephen gets trapped by Nightmare, stuck in a beautiful dream where Tony and him grow old together. Stephen realises the deception quickly, noting Tony’s eye colour being wrong, that they weren’t made of the fireworks Tony’s eyes usually were. 

They’ll live extraordinary lives. They’ll live extraordinary lives together. And it’ll be everything Stephen didn’t realise he was missing. 

——

Stephen Vincent Strange’s favourite moment of existing with Anthony Edward Stark is when they lay down together to sleep.

There’s no set hour for when it happens. Tony keeps odd hours, sometimes going days without sleep, just because inspiration struck. Stephen is used to living odd hours when he was a surgeon and it’s only gotten worse now that he can teleport wherever he needs to be around the world. Sometimes they fall together after vigorous days of work, too tired to even notice. Sometimes they have to lure each other to bed, sleeping more restfully when the two are together. 

Where they sleep is never consistent either. They’ve slept together on single beds and couches definitely not designed for two full grown men. They’ve slept on the largest beds with silk and satin cushioning their every movement. Stephen even once received a picture via text that was just a hotel room, Tony wanting him to teleport to Japan so he could get some rest. It doesn’t matter where they are, they always end up the same way.

Stephen, in the most ridiculous pair of Harry Potter pyjama Tony insisted he needed, Tony in a semi respectable plaid pair. Stephen sleeps on his back, a need to not jog his hands throughout the night, Tony draped over him sleeping on his front, a habit from when the Arc Reactor could crush his sternum. Tony’s hand, the one with Stephen Vincent Strange sprawled across his wrist, reaches across Stephen; grabbing Stephen’s wrist where the name Anthony Edward Stark resides. It’s a glorious sight to behold if Stephen can say.

And he can. Because, Stephen has seen it. Stephen can’t help himself, falling into his Astral form when sleeping and observing. There’s so much he’s more privy to when he and Tony are sleeping side by side, their defences not down but eased by the presence of the person they love. The person who they share a soul with.

And for all Mordo has wrong about the world, he was right about this. When a pair of soulmates are together their soul burns brighter than anything else in the Astral dimension.

Their peaceful slumber is uninterrupted by the blinding bright red that engulfs them. Sometimes blues bleed in, mixing with the red to appear purple. Sometimes golds and yellows appear, stretching over their entire form like a warm blanket or sparking in and out of existence like starlight. Their souls entwine in beautiful ways that remind Stephen of the sky. Endless possibilities that stretch out in the most captivating ways. 

Stephen loves his soulmate, he’s smart and gorgeous and everything he’s ever desired, how could he not?

He makes sure to tell Tony this as much as he’s able. Makes sure Tony knows, makes sure Tony believes, that Stephen Vincent Strange has never been more blessed than the day he woke up with the name Anthony Edward Stark along his arm.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I wrote the change of attitude over the story well! Tony and Stephen were both a-holes when they were younger, and it was hard to write my precious babies like that (though it was fun). Hope you guys enjoyed! I promised I'd make something a little happier this time! <3


End file.
